SpicesInc.com - How to Find Organic Food Coupons and Other Saving Tips

How to Find Organic Food Coupons and Other Saving Tips

Although organic foods tend to be more expensive, usually from 10 to 50 percent above conventional prices, many make the decision to buy organic, mostly due the health benefits. With the increasing number of farmers markets in the past several years, sales of organic foods have more than doubled, with even the new First Family on board.

As this trend becomes greater, more and more companies are offering organic coupons to save you money during the current economic condition. Offered from a variety of online companies, these organic coupon campaigns are the easiest way to save when purchasing healthy organic foods.

And because they’re offered online, no more clipping! Just print them out and take them with you. A great site to always find the latest organic companies offering coupons is www.gorgeouslygreen.com/coupons. Here is a list of sites offering organic coupons from the New York Daily News:

While searching these sites, also sign up for e-mails, online newsletters and snail mail lists to receive additional offers.

This trend has also moved directly to your phone. If you own an iPhone, a free application from Go Organic! allows customers to locate a nearby participating grocer by entering their zip code. A project of the Organic Trade Association (OTA) released in celebration of Earth Day, the Go Organic! app provides a list of nearby stores where customers can grab free coupon books with over $12 in savings on leading organic brands.

Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky at NaturallySavvy.com offer some tips for the beginning organic shopper. They report you can eliminate about 90 percent of the pesticides in your diet by going organic with what they call the “dirty dozen” perishables that are usually riddled with non-organic impurities: peaches, nectarines, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. Also, they say to gradually incorporate organic foods by starting with the daily basics such as milk and eggs.

And when at the market using your organic grocery coupons, shop in season whenever possible and make sure to read labels, looking for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic seal. This seal means at least 95 percent of the ingredients must be organic. Organic standards were set in 2002, 12 years after the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. In order for a food to become certified organic, the grower of the food must be inspected for compliance with the USDA’s “organic standards” by an accredited state or private agency.

Generally organic standard foods are free of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and have not been irradiated or genetically modified in any way. This makes for much healthier foods, and using these tips will allow you to purchase organic foods on any budget.

About the author: Ron Lieback is a staff writer for SpicesInc.com, having had numerous articles appear in a variety of magazines and Web sites covering health, recreation and community related subjects. His favorite hobby is motorcycle racing. Ron can be contacted at rlieback@hotmail.com.